We have 3 Geo 2's in our family, we bought them used on PBNation and have not had any issues with the solenoid in any of them. They are great shooting markers, stand up to any weather and are easy to maintain. I clean and lube ours every other weekend as we play every week. I would suggest either a Shaft 4 kit or a Freak kit because as someone mentioned above the stock barrel is not ideal for the size of paint used today.

Couple downsides to jumping straight into the high end market as a new player that I can see:

1. The quality of the marker is many a times supported or hindered by the quality of the loader and tank you use with it. Using a 3000 psi steelie on an Ego11 will take away a lot of the feel, and hinder some of the performance of the marker. A lower end loader will also cause some frustration in terms of balance of the set up, feed consistency (though it can be argued that many low end loaders have reached a point of par with the caps in place), battery usage, profile and so on.
The reason I bring this up as a point is if you are splurging on a high end gun and skimping on a tank and loader, you will feel some restrictions in the potential that marker has. I suggest balancing your purchase out evenly. Many 300-500 dollar markers shot amazingly and leave the user extremely satisfied with the purchase (I am one, I absolutely love my Droid and when teammates and friend borrow it I consistently get feedback on how great it feels, how smooth is shots and how it compares to much higher end markers. It always leaves people happy.) . It is my opinion you should got for a suitable carbon fiber tank, mid-range to high-end hopper before making your marker purchase. This ensures that no matter the marker you choose you will have a quality set up together instead of hindering the performance of your marker.

2. This is in no testament to your knowledge base, but a fact I have seen among many newer players. Buying into a high-end marker opens up the issue of technical knowledge base. Investing into a pricey gun comes with a lot of responsibility on maintaining that gun as well. If you are newer it is highly unlikely you have have became the wizard of poppets overnight. That being said, if you drop 500, 600, 700 or more dollars on a marker and you are unsure how to properly maintain, tune, diagnose issues, and use the marker you are begging for a money pit and frustration. Sure you can ask for help from others but you lose that personal ownership of product and you run the risk of already having done lasting damage to the parts and having to spend more on parts.
Personally I came in with a entry-level marker that helped me learn the ins and outs of basic markers. Slowly raising through markers allowed me to better understand the mechanics and all of markers and actually lead me to find one gun I highly prefer and know in and out. Doing this has lead me to learn a lot about spool valve markers and I can help diagnose and repair many spool valves on the market now (still working on Dye guns though... they are like a foreign language to me sometimes).
You miss out on an experience of learning and you run the risk of being unprepared for the complexity a higher end can bring.

3. How set are you in the long haul of playing paintball? Are you a weekend recreational warrior, an inspiring tournament player, or a once in awhiler?
Step back and really think about this question, and answer it honestly to yourself. In three years, will you still be as passionate and dedicated to the sport? Is there any events you can foresee happening that will consume time or revenue to make you shelf your expensive trophy marker.

I give this same question to guys who contact me about joining the ISU paintball team and quickly jump to talking about buying gear and all. Is it really worth the large investment if you are going to let it sit for weeks or months at a time. A gun can't just sit in storage either, you got to take it out and maintain it still to keep it in working order.

4. Finally, this is not so much a downfall as a personal question as well.
What is your motive for buying a high-end this early in your carrier? Are you trying to impress a group of people, or give the image you are good, or do you truly know exactly what you want in a gun and that marker is the embodiment of your desires. I have talked to countless people who want an Ego11 just on the fact that "good players use ego11s," and it ultimately leaves them sorry about the purchase or selling it later.

My big advice is that you do some research. There are many used/mid level markers that are stunning performers. I gave you the example of my Droid earlier in my post. It has been the mind-changer of many Geo2.1 hopefuls. You can get a quality and great gun at a good price. Look around on B/S/T and in the brand forms. Read about the guns and try some out yourself at your local field. Get a feel for what you really like, and what you don't. Understand that EVERY company will produce a few lemons (bad products) here and there. Also understand that many of the issues that can occur in a marker can easily be contributed to USER ERROR. Inform yourself fully before making a purchase, you may save a few hundred and being very satisfied with something else.

ok Off topic - which mask is the most breathable? i find that i am lack of air in my i4 every time i run/bunkering

If you're going to play snake, then you'll probably want to start doing some jogging/sprinting workouts. Good cardio will help keep you cooler. It'll prevent heavy breathing which also throws off your aim when you do come up to shoot.

You may also want to dress a little cooler when you play. A lot of guys I used to coach over dressed(especially head gear) and it causes nothing but problems. You want your body temperature just slightly warm, not hot.

thanks, i wanted to see if it jus a momentarily feeling or passion that y i did that, plus 6 month on researching on getting my 1st marker

hw much pod u use per game if u r playing front using ego10?

I have an ego11 and it really doesn't matter what high end you have it's all about how much you shoot and that just depends on your trigger control and position back players tend to shoot A LOT more plaint compared to a front player. I am a front player (Doritos) and on average during a regular day of play ill use about a hopper (i have a dye rotor) and a pod- two pods max. But for tournament play that's when it gets expensive and paint consumption goes way up. For tournament play ill shoot a hopper and two-three pods per game.

Couple downsides to jumping straight into the high end market as a new player that I can see:

1. The quality of the marker is many a times supported or hindered by the quality of the loader and tank you use with it. Using a 3000 psi steelie on an Ego11 will take away a lot of the feel, and hinder some of the performance of the marker. A lower end loader will also cause some frustration in terms of balance of the set up, feed consistency (though it can be argued that many low end loaders have reached a point of par with the caps in place), battery usage, profile and so on.
The reason I bring this up as a point is if you are splurging on a high end gun and skimping on a tank and loader, you will feel some restrictions in the potential that marker has. I suggest balancing your purchase out evenly. Many 300-500 dollar markers shot amazingly and leave the user extremely satisfied with the purchase (I am one, I absolutely love my Droid and when teammates and friend borrow it I consistently get feedback on how great it feels, how smooth is shots and how it compares to much higher end markers. It always leaves people happy.) . It is my opinion you should got for a suitable carbon fiber tank, mid-range to high-end hopper before making your marker purchase. This ensures that no matter the marker you choose you will have a quality set up together instead of hindering the performance of your marker.

2. This is in no testament to your knowledge base, but a fact I have seen among many newer players. Buying into a high-end marker opens up the issue of technical knowledge base. Investing into a pricey gun comes with a lot of responsibility on maintaining that gun as well. If you are newer it is highly unlikely you have have became the wizard of poppets overnight. That being said, if you drop 500, 600, 700 or more dollars on a marker and you are unsure how to properly maintain, tune, diagnose issues, and use the marker you are begging for a money pit and frustration. Sure you can ask for help from others but you lose that personal ownership of product and you run the risk of already having done lasting damage to the parts and having to spend more on parts.
Personally I came in with a entry-level marker that helped me learn the ins and outs of basic markers. Slowly raising through markers allowed me to better understand the mechanics and all of markers and actually lead me to find one gun I highly prefer and know in and out. Doing this has lead me to learn a lot about spool valve markers and I can help diagnose and repair many spool valves on the market now (still working on Dye guns though... they are like a foreign language to me sometimes).
You miss out on an experience of learning and you run the risk of being unprepared for the complexity a higher end can bring.

3. How set are you in the long haul of playing paintball? Are you a weekend recreational warrior, an inspiring tournament player, or a once in awhiler?
Step back and really think about this question, and answer it honestly to yourself. In three years, will you still be as passionate and dedicated to the sport? Is there any events you can foresee happening that will consume time or revenue to make you shelf your expensive trophy marker.

I give this same question to guys who contact me about joining the ISU paintball team and quickly jump to talking about buying gear and all. Is it really worth the large investment if you are going to let it sit for weeks or months at a time. A gun can't just sit in storage either, you got to take it out and maintain it still to keep it in working order.

4. Finally, this is not so much a downfall as a personal question as well.
What is your motive for buying a high-end this early in your carrier? Are you trying to impress a group of people, or give the image you are good, or do you truly know exactly what you want in a gun and that marker is the embodiment of your desires. I have talked to countless people who want an Ego11 just on the fact that "good players use ego11s," and it ultimately leaves them sorry about the purchase or selling it later.

My big advice is that you do some research. There are many used/mid level markers that are stunning performers. I gave you the example of my Droid earlier in my post. It has been the mind-changer of many Geo2.1 hopefuls. You can get a quality and great gun at a good price. Look around on B/S/T and in the brand forms. Read about the guns and try some out yourself at your local field. Get a feel for what you really like, and what you don't. Understand that EVERY company will produce a few lemons (bad products) here and there. Also understand that many of the issues that can occur in a marker can easily be contributed to USER ERROR. Inform yourself fully before making a purchase, you may save a few hundred and being very satisfied with something else.

thanks for the advice , i bought myself a dye rotor and a cf tank with ninja regulator over the months i played with my team before i decided to get my own marker. i tried geo 2 and ego10, test played it a couple of times and i really like both of them, hence why i am torn between both.i usually play twice a month but gonna start 4 times per month starting next year.

as for what type of player am i, i would say a tourey inspired player(joining d4 tourey on feb)

MstrKey>thanks for your advice as well, i practice capoeira often so my breath control is averagely good

MstrKey>thanks for your advice as well, i practice capoeira often so my breath control is averagely good

Thats good then. The adrenalin still heats you up more than normal exercise but if you keep cool you'll be fine. Especially your head......I've seen some sports science studies that show your body can actually heat up a lot without any side effects. Your brain can't. It fades quick.

Egos are good, but as u see above they can brake. ALthough this happens more so on the 11's because they are made of a lighter material. My friend has had 2 broken ego 11s over a year and his ego 10 has been fine for 2 years